HOWTO: Visual C++ 5.0 (Professional & Enterprise) Support FAQ

1. Q. Where can I find a listing of new features in Visual C++ 5.0?
   
   A. For a listing of new features in Visual C++, please refer to the "What's New" sections for the appropriate Visual C++ product. In addition, an extensive readme (VCREAD.HTM) comes with Visual C++ 5.0. This has a wealth of information on subjects like ATL, Enterprise development, compiler issues and more, that we were unable to include in the online documentation. Like VCREAD, READMEDT.HTM and ENVIRON.HTM are readme files concerning the visual database tools and IDE issues.
2. Q. Where can I find InfoViewer FAQ issues?
   
   A. Please see the Visual Studio FAQ at www.microsoft.com/vstudio.
3. Q. Why do I have to use Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) v3.0 with Visual C++ 5.0?
   
   A. The InfoViewer, which displays the online documentation, uses the Internet Explorer control that is part of Internet Explorer 3.0. While this is required for the InfoViewer, it does not mean you have to use Internet Explorer as your default browser.
4. Q. Why are the installed binaries in the \program files\devstudio\ sharedide different than those on the CD?
   
   A. When Visual C++ is installed, several of the executables are "bound" using imagehlp API's to decrease load time.
5. Q. The VCREAD.HTM file says that you should not install over Visual C++ 4.x, and later that they can coexist. Please explain.
   
   A. Installing Visual C++ 5.0 into the directory used by Visual C++ 4.x (\MSDEV) can lead to unpredictable behavior. One reason for this is that the directory structure for Visual C++ 5.0 has radically changed. Visual C++ 5.0 does not replace any of Visual C++ 4.x's registry entries or program groups. So, according to your desktop, Visual C++ 4.x appears to still be installed. Therefore, it appears that you can run Visual C++ 4.x. However, it will not succeed. Instead, you should install Visual C++ 5.0 into a separate directory structure to ensure a clean install. You do not need to uninstall Visual C++ 4.x prior to installing Visual C++ 5.0 since the two can co-exist. Please see VCREAD for more detailed information. One additional caveat that is not in the readme is that Visual C++ 5.0 includes some of the same controls that were included in Visual C++ 4.x. These will be overwritten if you choose to install the controls. The affected controls are: DBGrid32.OCX, DSList32.OCX, MSComm32.OCX, MCI32.OCX, MSMask23.OCX, and PicClp32.OCX.
6. Q. Why do I get a missing export or ordinal 6451 in MFC42.DLL when I start MSDEV.EXE for the first time?
   
   A. This happens when you use the MFC42.DLL that shipped with Visual C++ 4.2. If you have not rebooted since installing Visual C++ 5.0, rebooting solves the problem. It is also possible that an installation program for another product can overwrite this DLL.
7. Q. Attempting to use some tools from newly created project, may generate the following error:
   The specified path is invalid.
   A. This error message occurs because the project has not generated the path information for the tools. Build the project to work around this. In some cases, closing and reopening the workspace may work around the problem.
8. Q. Why doesn't anything happen when I try to profile my application from within Visual C++?
   
   A. To work around this problem, add an environment variable to your path that includes c:\program files\devstudio\vc\bin, presuming Visual C++ is installed on your C: drive and that you have selected the default installation options.
   
   On Windows NT:
   
   
   1. In the Control Panel, select the System applet.
   2. From the Environment tab, enter PATH in the Variable field.
   3. In the Value field, enter c:\program files\devstudio\vc\bin.
   4. Click OK.
   The next time you start Visual C++, the profiler will work correctly.
   
   On Windows 95:
   
   
   1. Open the Autoexec.bat file with an editor.
   2. Add the following line, making sure to include the quotation marks:

            set PATH= c:\"program files"\devstudio\vc\bin
         
      								

   3. The environment variable will take effect when you reboot your computer.
9. Q. Why isn't the ODBC 3.0 Programmers Reference included in the online documentation?
   
   A. We provide up-to-date .HLP files for the ODBC Programmers Reference on the CD in the \DevStudio\SharedIDE\Help directory (See VCREAD.HTM for more information).
10. Q. What is MIDL error MIDL2039?
    
    A. This is a new MIDL error. Previously, MIDL permitted the (erroneous) use of invalid types in OLE automation (or dual) interfaces. The set of types that can be passed through an automation interface is much more restricted than the set that can be passed in an arbitrary COM interface.
    
    If the rest of the interface isn't using OLE automation data types (for Example, an ULONG is typically not an OLE automation data type), the following two examples can cause this error:

       [
       object,
       uuid(CE2EDE50-8E6A-11D0-8C74-00C04FE0DFDF),
       dual,     << implicit oleautomation
       helpstring("ISome Interface"),
       pointer_default(unique)
       ]
     
    						

    -or-

       [
       object,
       uuid(CE2EDE50-8E6A-11D0-8C74-00C04FE0DFDF),
       oleautomation,
       helpstring("ISome Interface"),
       pointer_default(unique)
       ]
     
    						

11. Q. From the command line, I go to my projects directory and there is no .MAK file for my project. Why?
    
    A. .MAK files are no longer automatically generated. You can manually export MAK files from the Export Makefile selection in the Project Menu. In addition, MAK files can be automatically exported each time the modifications are saved. To do so, from the Tools menu select Options. In the Options dialog box, click the Build tab and select the "Export makefile when saving project file" check box.
12. Q. Will there be a release of Visual C++ 5.0 that targets the Macintosh platform?
    
    A. At this time, a Macintosh Cross-Development Edition is not planned for Visual C++ 5.0. The latest version of Visual C++ Cross-Development Edition that targets the Macintosh platform is version 4.0b. For more information on Visual C++ Cross-Development Edition for the Macintosh, please see the product documentation on http://www.microsoft.com/visualc/.
13. Q. While installing Visual C++ 5.0 in Windows NT 4.0, I get the following message:

    Setup detects that you are not a member of the Administrator group,
    which is required for installing ODBC, ActiveXRPC debugging, Internet
    Explorer, and Just-in-Time debugging. Continue ?, Yes ,No "

    Does this mean that I will not be able to use Visual C++ if I continue?
    
    A. Visual C++ version 5.0 installation in the Windows NT 4.0 operating system requires that the user account have administrative privileges. This is necessary for installing Internet Explorer and the other components mentioned in the message above. Visual C++ uses Internet Explorer to access the online documentation. If you continue the installation, you will be deprived from using the listed components. Also, you will not be able to insert any third party ActiveX Controls included in the package in your application.
14. Q. Why isn't the put_Font or putref_Font method called when an ActiveX control's Font property is changed by the ActiveX Control Pad?
    
    A. The put_Font or putref_Font method is called only when you completely replace your control's Font object with a new one. When you change the font in the ActiveX Control Pad, get_Font is called to get a pointer to the Font object for the ActiveX Control Pad. Changes made by the Control Pad are made directly to that object. The ActiveX Control Pad does not create a new Font object and assign it to your Font property.
    
    The following example demonstrates a case where the font property is changed without calling the put_Font or putref_Font method:

          object CLASSID="clsid:E882D673-878E-11D0-B00C-000000000000"
                         id="FontTest1">
            /object>
          object CLASSID="clsid:E882D673-878E-11D0-B00C-000000000000"
                         id="FontTest2">
            /object>
    
          SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
    
          !--
          Sub Window_OnLoad
             FontTest1.Font.Name = "times new roman"
             FontTest1.Font.Size = 16
             FontTest2.Font = FontTest1.Font
          End Sub
       -->
       /SCRIPT>
     
    						

15. Q. How do I get the <PARAM> tag to work with an ATL control?
    
    A. You need to support the IPropertyBag interface for the HTML <PARAM> tag to work with your ATL control. An implementation of this interface is supplied in the IPropertyBagImpl class that comes with ATL 2.1. The CIRC sample demonstrates how to support IPersistPropertyBag and add your properties to the property map.
16. Q. What are the reasons an ATL server might fail to register?
    
    A. The following are the top three reasons an ATL server might fail to register:
    
    
    1. You built your project with _WIN32_WINNT=0x400 (the default), and you are not running the ATL server under Windows NT 4.0 or you do not have an up-to-date version of OLEAUT32.DLL. To solve this problem, run DUMPBIN /EXPORTS OLEAUT32.DLL and search for UnregisterTypelib. If it is not there, then your server cannot run. Remove this #define statement from STDAFX.H if you want to run the ATL server under Windows 95 or older versions of Windows NT. Note that the #define _WIN32_WINNT=0x400 could be anywhere, even in the Build settings. Alternatively, you can use LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress so that you can run optimally under both Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0. The OLEAUT32.DLL that ships with the Internet Explorer 3.x is up to date.
    2. You built your project as MinSize or Debug and ATL.DLL is not properly installed on the system. The correct version of ATL.DLL must be copied and registered by REGSVR32. There are Windows NT and Windows 95 versions of ATL.DLL. The Windows 95 version runs under Windows NT. However, since it does not use the UNICODE APIs, it is slightly less efficient. Unless you build your project as MinDependency, you need to install the correct version of ATL.DLL and run REGSVR32 on it before you install your server.
    3. You built your project as UNICODE and you cannot run it under Windows 95.
    Following are the steps to troubleshoot:
    
    
    1. For a DLL server, run REGSVR32 in the debugger.
    2. Open the Project Settings dialog box and click the Debug tab.
    3. In the Executable for debug session text box, enter the full path to REGSVR32.EXE, such as C:\SHAREDIDE\BIN\REGSVR32.EXE.
    4. In the Program arguments text box, specify the full path to your DLL, such as C:\MYPROJECTS\MyFolder\DEBUG\MyFile.DLL.
    5. Set a breakpoint at DllRegisterServer and start stepping.
    For an EXE server, run it in the debugger and specify /REGSVR as its command-line argument.
17. Q. What causes linker error LNK2001 during Release MinDependency builds of ATL projects?
    
    A. This can happen when the C Run-Time (CRT) startup code is required for some CRT functions. You can either remove all references to the CRT functions or remove the _ATL_MIN_CRT preprocessor definition from your compiler settings.
    
    Some CRT functions can be used without the CRT startup code, for example, functions with the mem prefix. The following require the CRT startup code:
    
    
    • String comparison routines
    • Global objects with constructors
    • Exception handling
    In Visual C++ 5.0, statically linking the startup code adds about 25K to your image. If size is an issue for your control, you may be able to avoid linking in the startup code.
    
    To find out what is causing the problem:
    
    
    1. Open the Project Settings dialog box, click the Link tab, and click Input in the Category box.
    2. Type LIBCMT.LIB in the Ignore libraries text box.
    3. Do a build.
    4. You get a list of unresolved externals. This list contains the CRT routines you are using. Look for the routines that you think may require the startup code.
    5. Turn on the /VERBOSE linker option.
    6. From the resulting linker output, you can find a list of routines that require the CRT startup code.
    7. If you need the startup code, remove the _ATL_MIN_CRT definition from the Project Settings. You can also dynamically link to CRT. This reduces your image size but requires MSVCRT.DLL.
    When you are building as MinSize, the default option is to statically link to CRT and use _ATL_MIN_CRT. This gives a smaller image size than dynamically linking to CRT, at least when the startup code is avoided and the CRT APIs used by AppWizard are used.
18. Q. In ATL projects, how do I update the CLSID registry key under a version-independent ProgID?
    
    A. Creating the CLSID under a version-independent ProgID fails when you pass this ProgID with only a CurVer key. To make it work, you need to add the CLSID key under the version-independent ProgID.
    
    If you have the following in your .RGS file:

       TriBrowseObj.TriBrowseObj.1 = s 'TriBrowseObj Class'
       {
       CLSID = s '{3452E30B-8B87-11D0-A671-00A0C903977C}'
       }
    
       TriBrowseObj.TriBrowseObj = s 'TriBrowseObj Class'
       {
       CurVer = s 'TriBrowseObj.TriBrowseObj.1'
       }
     
    						

    you must change it to:

       TriBrowseObj.TriBrowseObj.1 = s 'TriBrowseObj Class'
       {
       CLSID = s '{3452E30B-8B87-11D0-A671-00A0C903977C}'
       }
    
       TriBrowseObj.TriBrowseObj = s 'TriBrowseObj Class'
       {
       CLSID = s '{3452E30B-8B87-11D0-A671-00A0C903977C}'
       CurVer = s 'TriBrowseObj.TriBrowseObj.1'
       }
     
    						

    You also need to modify the wizard template (.RGS) in the following directory:
    
    
    • For Visual C++ 4.x: \MSDEV\TEMPLATE\ATL
    • For Visual C++ 5.0: \DEVSTUDIO\SHAREDIDE\TEMPLATE\ATL
    Change the CONTROL.RGS file and any other .RGS files that are wrong. The following statements:

       [!ProgID] = s '[!TypeName]'
       {
       CLSID = s '{[!ObjectGUID]}'
       [!if=(InsertableEnabled, "TRUE")]
       [!endif]
       }
    
       [!VersionIndependentProgID] = s '[!TypeName]'
       {
       CurVer = s '[!ProgID]'
       }
    						

    should be changed to:

       [!ProgID] = s '[!TypeName]'
       {
       CLSID = s '{[!ObjectGUID]}'
       [!if=(InsertableEnabled, "TRUE")]
       'Insertable'
       [!endif]
       }
    
       [!VersionIndependentProgID] = s '[!TypeName]'
       {
       CLSID = s '{[!ObjectGUID]}'
       CurVer = s '[!ProgID]'
       }
    						

19. Q. What are the known problems with the ATL 2.0 Object Wizard?
    
    A. The ATL 2.0 Object Wizard might not be present in the Component Gallery. The ATL 2.0 Object Wizard is not installed by the main ATL 2.0 setup program (ATLINST.EXE). It requires a separate setup program. You need to download and run the ATL 2.0 Object Wizard Technology Preview (OBJINST.EXE) from the ATL Web page. There is a separate ZIP file for Windows NT 3.51.
    
    The ATL 2.0 Object Wizard may crash if an older version of OLEAUT32.DLL is installed on the system. Make sure the version of OLEAUT32.DLL is at least 2.20.4049. The latest version is available for download at the Internet Explorer 3.x web site.
20. Q. Can I use a scripting language other than VBScript for macros?
    
    A. No, VBScript is the only scripting language Developer Studio supports for macro recording and editing.
21. Q. How can I debug a VBScript macro?
    
    A. You can use the PrintToOutputWindow method and the MsgBox command to display debugging messages while the macro is running. Currently, macros cannot be debugged using the Developer Studio debugger.
22. Q. Can a macro handle a Developer Studio event?
    
    A. Yes, you just need to create a VBScript procedure with the name of the object and event you want to handle. Refer to the Events section of the Developer Studio Objects Reference for the correct syntax for each event. As an example, if you wanted to handle the WindowActivate event that occurs when a window is activated, your procedure would look similar to the following:

       sub Application_WindowActivate(theWindow)
          ' Insert code to handle the event here
       end sub
    						

23. Q. How can I turn off VBScript error dialogs, so my macro can run without user intervention even if it encounters errors?
    
    A. You can use the VBScript "On Error Resume Next" statement. Put this statement on the line preceding any statements where an error may occur. An example of this is before a call to the Documents.Open method where the file you are attempting to open may not exist. If you put in the On Error statement, and the file cannot be found, no error dialog will be displayed, and the macro will continue running.
24. Q. Is it possible to control docking windows like Project, Watch, Output through the object model?
    
    A. No, these windows are not available in the Windows collection. However, you can display messages in the Output window with the PrintToOutputWindow method.
25. Q. I see that there is a DevStudio Add-in Wizard and it produces a Visual C++ project. Can add-ins be developed with other programming languages?
    
    A. Yes, add-ins can be created in any language that supports exposing COM interfaces, including languages other than Visual C++, like Visual Basic, and Visual J++. To find out more about developing add-ins, and for sample add-ins, refer to the Developer Studio Add-ins documentation.
26. Q. Where can I get more answers to Developer Studio Automation questions?
    
    A. Refer to the "How Do I ..." and "Frequently Asked Questions" sections of the "Automating Tasks in Developer Studio" section of the User's Guide.

Visual C++ Enterprise Edition FAQ

1. Q. Can I use the Microsoft Visual Database Tools with any ODBC datasource?
   
   A. Yes, with varying degrees of functionality.
   
   
   • Any ODBC datasource -- open and edit tables, create and execute queries
   • SQL Server 6.0 and Oracle 7.2 or 7.3 -- open and edit tables, create and execute queries, edit stored procedures and triggers
   • SQL Server 6.5 -- open and edit tables, create and execute queries, edit stored procedures and triggers, debug stored procedures and triggers, design databases
2. Q. Can I debug Oracle databases?
   
   A. No, this would require changes to the Oracle Database Server. SQL Debugging works only with SQL Server 6.5 on Intel platforms.
3. Q. Can I debug with Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 4.2 and Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 5.0 at the same time?
   
   A. Yes, Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 5.0 SQL Debugging was designed to co- exist with Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 4.2 SQL Debugging.
4. Q. Why does Automation manager start up when I use SQL Debugging, but not shut down when I close Visual C++?
   
   A. Automation manager is started automatically by Visual C++ when it is first needed. Visual C++ does not shut it down because Automation Manager doesn't provide an API to determine if other applications are using it. You can safely shut it down when it displays that no connections are in use.
5. Q. How do I start SQL debugging in Visual C++ Enterprise Edition?
   
   A. Please refer to the Hello World sample in the Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 5.0 documentation.
6. Q. What software do I need installed to start SQL Debugging?
   
   A. Client Side:
   
   
   • Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 5.0
   • Win95 or NT 4.0
   Server Side:
   
   
   • Visual C++ Enterprise Edition 5.0 server side components from Visual C++ Enterprise Edition Server setup found on the second Visual C++ Enterprise Edition CD
   • SQL Server 6.5 and Service Pack 2 found on the second Visual C++ Enterprise Edition CD
   • Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT 3.51 + Service Pack 5.0a, SP5 found on the second Visual C++ Enterprise Edition CD
   NOTE: You can install everything on one machine and do "local debugging," or you can install SQL Server on a separate machine and do "remote debugging."